Kurt Schusterman

Renowned for redefining the most important spaces in a home with innovative storage solutions, Kurt Schusterman of California Closets gives us a glimpse inside his customer service-focused operation.

California Closets creates creative storage solutions to every space it enters.

How has California Closets evolved since opening a Nashville franchise in 2015?

When I bought the business, we manufactured our product out of a 6000-square-foot space in Brentwood with 20 employees. Today, we operate out of 26,520 square feet in the SIDCO design district in Berry Hill with 50 employees. Our product offering has evolved to include over 500 pages of a product guide, including LED lighting, 16 proprietary wood finishes and exclusive European styling. Not only have we grown the size of the business, but I’m most proud of delivering an exceptionally high-quality product with the most innovative design options.

Maximize your closet space with the help of California Closets’ Nashville franchise.

California Closets isn’t just a franchise—it’s a local business. What does that mean to you?

We are an independently owned and operated California Closets franchisee. That means my wife and I own the franchise rights for Middle Tennessee and are responsible for the sales, product fabrication, installation and service of the California Closets product and brand. We benefit from national buying power for all our raw materials and a world-class operating system and technology to manage our business and our customers more effectively but all of our custom solutions across our footprint are made right here in Nashville by our local team. As a “recovering” Fortune 500 executive, it’s a dream come true to pour into my local community with my family.

What might people not know about California Closets?

The biggest misnomer of California Closets is our name since none of our parts are made in California—we are Nashville through and through with our talented designers here and everything produced right here in town. We’ve been serving Middle Tennessee for close to three decades. Second, the company has evolved to do so much more than closets. Since we started this custom closet and home storage industry 46 years ago, the name has become the flag bearer for the industry. We have solutions for every room in the house, including walk-in closets, reach-in closets, entertainment centers, wine bars, Murphy beds, garages, pantries and home offices. We’ve built everything from small reach-in closets for starter home buyers to elaborate dressing rooms for music stars.

“Integrity is one of our six core values and the cornerstone of who we are and what we do.”–KURT SCHUSTERMAN

How important is it to give back to your community?

As a family-owned and operated business, the California Closets Nashville culture centers around a philosophy of Designing Better Lives. This is not only about Designing Better Lives for our employees, their families and our customers, but also for the communities in which we all live, work and play. We support Thistle Farms by buying their candles and handing them out as thank-you gifts with every install. We support the Nashville Rescue Mission, Our Place, Men of Valor, Habitat for Humanity and more by building out wardrobes, closets and storage rooms regularly and as needed.

Their product offering has expanded to feature a comprehensive 500-page product guide, which includes LED lighting, 16 proprietary wood finishes and exclusive European styling.

What does integrity mean to you and to the company?

Integrity is one of our six core values and the cornerstone of who we are and what we do. While we differentiate ourselves with higher quality products and designs, the real difference for us is the passion our people bring to serving each other and our customers daily. 2601 Winford Ave.,californiaclosets.com